Antron Brown:still burning rubber in NHRA Top Fuel Drag Racing! His love for speed started with his father and uncle through his grandfather
By Harry M. Anderson, Jr.
Since his mother pushed him around the pit area in a baby carriage when his father Albert and Uncle Andre were drag racing bikes at the local New Jersey drag strips, Antron Brown had a deep love for oil, gas, rubber and car parts. That love of cars from his dad and uncle grew on him starting with motorcycles to the current fire-breathing, ear-splitting, jaw dropping 300 mph top fuel dragsters he races today. The 36-year-old Chesterfield, New Jersey resident is currently active on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Top Fuel Circuit racing for Don Schumacher Racing sponsored by Matco Tools Corporation, the US Army and Aaron’s.
“My mom was strolling me around the pit area while my dad and uncle were racing motor bikes and cars,” Brown said in a recent phone interview. “Until I was 16 I was won their drag cars with them.”
“In the early 70s my grandfather caught them street racing and he told them if you’re going to go racing then you’re going to do it right.”
Both his father and uncle began to start racing cars, his dad a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda and his uncle, 1962 Corvette, at Englishtown Dragway in Northern New Jersey and Atco Dragway in South New Jersey. That soon evolved into the Brown Brothers Racing team with a Kawasaki 750 in the Competition Gas Bike Class. They raced their first car as a team, a 1971 Vega in 1973-74.
While that was going on, Antron at the age of four was racing mini-cycle dirt bikes at the dirt bike tracks that were located near the drag strips where his father and uncle were racing.
“While I was growing up there weren’t any junior dragsters for little kids,” Brown said. “I raced dirt bikes when my father and uncle were racing. Each strip had a motocross track that was near or in the vicinity of the strip.”
Brown started racing AMA (American Motorcycle Association)- sanctioned amateur motocross in his teens until the age of 17 when an injury side-lined him. Brown and a fellow rider crashed during a qualifying heat which caused him to suffer a dislocated shoulder and a cracked the tip of his rotator cup. While he was healing brown enrolled and graduated from Mercer Junior College in Trenton, NJ with an Associates Degree in Business Administration.
However, the offer to race pro bikes came up again with Troy Vincent of the Philadelphia Eagles. He raced for Vincent from 1998-2000. When Vincent decided to sell his team, Brown took it upon himself to buy the team himself and start his own team. He raced drag bikes himself from 2001-2002. In 2003, he was approached by Don Schumacher and Schumacher Racing.
“He (Don) was trying to obtain US Army sponsorship. I joined his team and the rest was history,” Brown said.
From 2001-2006, Brown finished second in NHRA drivers point in the Pro Stock Bike Drag Division. From 1988 through 2007, Brown had 16 career victories. However, Brown still wanted to do more than race two wheels. The opportunity to race four wheels came up in 2008. But it wasn’t just any four wheels…it was the top of the class…NHRA TOP FUEL!!
Brown parked his Suzuki Pro Stock Bike racer and started racing for David ’Powers and Lee Beard in a Dragster sponsored by Matco Tools. Powers and Beard later joined forces with Schumacher Racing and things haven’t been better.
“I’ve been competing in the Top Fuel Division since 2008 and I have no regrets,” Brown said. “The boys a5re incredible because they have the same passion as I do.”
In 2008, Brown raced to two victories down in Atlanta, Georgia and Gainesville, Florida. In 2009, Brown raced to six victories in 10 final rounds. He was runner-up four times. In 2010 he finished in the NHRA Top Five in driver’s points Last year he raced to six victories in eight final rounds with two runner-up finishes.
Currently this season as of April 29, Brown is currently leading the NHRA Top Fuel Driver’s Points with 537. He’s had runner-up finishes at Pomona, California on February 12 (Winternationals), Las Vegas, Nevada on April 1 (Summit Racing Nationals) and Baytown, Texas on April 29 (O’Reilly’s Auto Parts Nationals). Brown picked up a win in Phoenix, Arizona on April 19 (Arizona Nationals) and a third place in Concord, NC on April 13 (Four-Wide Nationals).
“I’m very fortunate to be with a group of guys and still winning,” Brown concluded. “I very pleased to align myself with the Matco Tools Team.”
This was printed in the November 18, 2012 – December 1, 2012 Edition
